The invention relates to a blade, in particular a blade fastenable to a blade head, said blade being a blade for a grinding machine for the grinding of meat and/or other substances of a similar nature, for instance for a cutter, and to a grinding machine with at least one such blade.
Such blades are used above all for meat processing in a so-called cutter, whereby a blade head can be pivoted into a rotating cutter bowl charged with meat to be ground and can also be offset in rotation and its replaceable blades perform the grinding of the meat. The blades are designed such that their cutting edges follow the contour of the domed inner wall of the cutter bowl at a (possibly small) distance at smaller or larger intervals. Such a blade head is usually equipped with several blades attached in an offset arrangement and/or on its rotary axis in several rows, one behind the other.
For proper function of the blades it is important that the distance of their cutting edges to the inner wall is optimal at all times and also remains unchanged at the magnitude envisaged by the cutter manufacturer when a blade is replaced; this is only regularly assured if a blade from the same manufacturer of suitable design in terms of its material and dimensions is employed; otherwise the functionally inappropriate distance from the inner wall may give rise to damage to the blade and the inner wall of the cutter as well as, and above all, operating disturbances. Nevertheless, different blades can be usually fitted to the same blade head in order to permit the manufacture of individual components efficiently and in large numbers.
Therefore, it is the object of the invention to design a blade of the type described in greater detail above such that it can be replaced solely by an equivalent blade of the same kind, thus reliably eliminating damage which could be caused by the use of a functionally inappropriate blade.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by installing in the blade a sensor chip which has an interrogatable first data memory containing data which are used as actual values for comparison with the data of a second data memory assigned to the grinding machine whose data attuned to the blade serve as the set value for an actual value/set value comparison, the control of the grinding machine being designed such that the latter cannot be turned on if the actual values deviate from the set values.
With a blade according to the invention, it is firstly truly ensured that its replacement by a blade not envisaged for the associated grinding machine does not succeed because in such a case the actual value/set value comparison fails and the grinding machine cannot be turned on at all. This applies both if an unsuitable blade from the same manufacturer and if a blade from a different manufacturer is fitted; in both cases the attention of the operator is drawn to the error and damage to the machine is reliably prevented.
Over and above the actual object, the invention has further advantages.
For instance, it is now possible to ensure on such grinding machines on which in addition to the blade the associated counterpart, for instance the perforated disc of a mincer, is replaceable that it is only possible to form such a pairing of blade/perforated disc if the respective components match, otherwise the grinding machine is again disabled by the control due to the actual value/set value comparison.
After appropriate data collection, transmission, processing and rendition, the data memory integrated in the blade also provides on a corresponding display the data suitable for the identification of the blade and optionally also those of the associated counterpart, that is of the entire system employed for grinding. In the same way the data can be recognized by the control of the grinding machine and referred to in so far as the operation of the grinding machine is only permitted if functionally appropriate components are employed.
The monitoring of the blades designed specifically for the grinding machine is also much simplified according to the invention because from the data suppliable by the integrated data memory the serial numbers of the blades are identifiable without difficulty and the wear of the blades can be monitored, for example through the indication of service life, grinding intervals and similar parameters. In this way the invention can also improve operation with those blades which are installed as original components or have been replaced with the correct replacement parts.
It is particularly advantageous if the sensor chip on the blade is provided in a closed cavity so that it is both indetectable to unauthorized persons and insusceptible to tampering. It has been shown to be beneficial to provide the sensor chip in a clamping section of the blade which is used for clamping the blade on the blade head. The arrangement can be effected without difficulty such that the sensor chip, if it is discovered by chance, becomes unserviceable upon removal of the data memory and the sensor chip is destroyed.
Data interrogation from the data memory integrated in such a blade succeeds best on a grinding machine according to the invention if the sensor chip is bidirectionally wirelessly linked to a transmitter-receiver which is either positioned on the grinding machine or remote, said transmitter-receiver being capable of connection via an amplifier to a second data memory and/or an electronic machine control so that the data level can be both rendered readable and referred to in deciding over the grinding machine""s function. It is particularly advantageous to locate the transmitter-receiver in the immediate vicinity of the blade head.
For the subsequent equipping of a grinding machine in the manner specified in the invention, it is also beneficial if the amplifier, the second data memory and further electronic components and display and switching elements are provided in a joint modular unit on the machine stand of the grinding machine. The transmitter-receiver can also be beneficially designed as a remote unit.